Enhancing the industrial climate of Washington County, Pennsylvania and its adjoining areas and advancing the professional knowledge of our members.

What's New

Due to a scheduling conflict, the next meeting of the W.C.M.A. will be held on Thursday, November 10, 2106. We will start the meeting with a tour of Baltec Corporation at 5:30 PM followed by our social hour and dinner at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. Also , please note, November is our new member recruitment month. Any potential new member brought by a current member will be the guest of the WCMA for dinner. We hope to have a great turnout for this meeting.
With over 45,000 machines installed worldwide, Baltec is the global solutions provider for riveting equipment. Highlighted by the HPP-25 Process Controller available on all Baltec riveters, Baltec is continuing to set new standards in riveting equipment, riveting process monitoring and control. During the tour we will review:
• Complete line of modular riveting heads for any application in any orientation.
• Lean riveting work cell systems.
• Custom systems and machine configurations. (Dual Head, Pedestal, Bench Top, Long Stroke Versions)
• Full line of manual, pneumatic and hydra-pneumatic presses.
• Application and tooling process
• Full product line demonstrations
Baltec is a global company specializing in riveting technology. We are headquartered in Zurich Switzerland. In addition to our global dealer network, we have direct manufacturing and support facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Brazil. All direct support facilities have local manufacturing, application development prototype lab, engineering and sales support for our expansive customer base. For more information, contact Baltec Corporation, 121 Hillpointe Drive, Suite 900 Canonsburg, PA, 15317, 724-873-5757, info.us@baltec.com, www.baltecorporation.com. The cost for the dinner is $25.00 per person and may be paid in advance with a check to the Association, Box BE, Washington, PA 15301, or you may pay at the desk the evening of the meeting. Please note, because we guarantee the number of meals, if you make reservations, but cannot attend, your company will be charged for the dinner if you do not cancel in advance. Please make reservations for this month’s meeting by calling Ron Davis at (724) 746 4300. Please spell your name and company and the name and company of any guests if leaving a voice message. You can also click here to register online.

The WCMA Holiday Party will be on Thursday December 8th at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. We will enjoy a pleasant evening of music from the Jenny Wilson Duo, dinner and great conversation. We encourage you to bring your significant other to our gathering. As in previous years, we will be collecting donations for Toys for Tots. If you are able please bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate. The Toys for Tots program is run by the US Marines and helps families and especially children in our area to h ave a brighter Christmas. The cost for dinner will be $25.00 per person.

The increased needs of children in our community have fostered our desire to support this program. The goal of our efforts is to place a smile on a child’s face this Holiday season through the simple act of giving! Last year this chapter of Toys for Tots, gave 34,661 toys to 4,332 children. In the last ten years they have given 143,086 toys to 21,558 children!

Any brand new toys still in their original box and/or monetary donations are greatly appreciated. If you are giving a money donation, please make check payable to “Toys for Tots”. No cash please.

Please join us for Catalyst Connection’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) Conference for Small Manufacturers. The conference will reflect on the exciting year in expansion of additive manufacturing, including the opening of GE’s Center for Additive Technology Advancement (CATA), and looking to future opportunities for AM technology with manufacturing companies both small and large. Kirk Rogers, Technology Leader at GE CATA, will be the morning keynote speaker.

At the AM Conference, attendees will learn about current manufacturing applications of AM and hear how manufacturers are using this technology to gain competitive advantage. In addition, manufacturers will share their insights about how they began using AM and how they made the business case for adding AM equipment. The conference will be in Cranberry, PA on November 9, 2016.

Visit the New Global Headquarters of Industrial Scientific Corporation

Please join usfor a workshop and tour at Industrial Scientific Corporation (ISC) to learn about their recent opening of a new 200,000 square foot building that serves as the company’s global headquarters. As the global leader in gas detection, Industrial Scientific provides gas detection products and services that keep workers safe in hazardous environments.

This new facility enables consolidation of the company’s operations to one location. “From customer service, to manufacturing, to product development, and much more…” said Garth Miller, vice president of customer operations. “This offers many benefits such as increased collaboration and efficiencies. Further, we look forward to providing employees a state-of-the-art facility from which they can continue to serve our customers and deliver innovative, life-saving products and services.”

ISC’s business leaders will share their strategies and lessons learned that have resulted in significant growth for their company. Networking opportunities and a facility tour will be included.

The number of SafeLand USA classes conducted by RJR Safety Inc in 2017 has been increased to two per month beginning January 2017. There will remain one per month through 2016. In 2017, there will be one class in Washington, PA each month and one class in either Bridgeport WV or Cambridge OH each month. The Course Schedule is on the RJR Safety Inc website. The cost remains the same for 2017 with the online payment option.

Fire Prevention Week was officially October 9-15, 2016 with the theme being “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years”. We may replace the batteries on a fairly regular schedule but how old is that smoke detector? Do you remember exactly the date or at least the precise year that you purchased it? Most of us do not remember sothe focus this year is placed on replacing the smoke detectors. More information is available in the NFPA Journal and the NFPA website.

The NFPA is keying in on these messages:

Smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.

Make sure you know how old all the smoke alarms are in your home.

To find out how old a smoke alarm is, look at the date of manufacture on the back of the alarm; the alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date.

Get the answers to some frequently asked questions about replacing your smoke alarms on the NFPA website.

The October meeting of the WCMA will be held on Thursday October 6, 2016. We will start the evening with a tour of First Energy Corporation’s Central Machine Shop and Mobile Maintenance Headquarters located at 50 Curry Avenue, Canonsburg, PA. This is located in the PA Transformer complex. We will begin the tour at 5:00 PM. Dinner will follow at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe.

FirstEnergy invested approximately $1 .3 million to upgrade a recently vacated 110,000-square-foot facility to include machine, repair and electric shops and related equipment, sandblasting and painting facilities, a tool room, fabrication area and office areas. A staff of 15 mechanics, electricians and other tradesmen comprise the Central Machine Shop, which will provide equipment refurbishment and repair services for FirstEnergy’s generating plants. An additional 30 employees will work out of the facility as part of the Mobile Maintenance Team, supporting maintenance outages and other work at the company’s plants. “The Central Machine Shop and Mobile Maintenance team are important to our comprehensive maintenance strategy, which ensures we operate a safe, reliable generation fleet that meets customers’ electricity needs. Locating these facilities under one roof improves the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our operations – ultimately benefiting our customers,” said James H. Lash, president of FirstEnergy Generation. “We are also pleased to contribute to the economic prosperity of Canonsburg and the Washington County area by helping bring jobs, taxes and new business to the area.”

The cost for the dinner is $25.00 per person and may be paid in advance with a check to the Association, Box BE, Washington, PA 15301 , or you may pay at the desk the evening of the meeting. Please note, because we guarantee the number of meals, if you make reservations, but cannot attend, your company will be charged for the dinner if you do not cancel in advance. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, October 5, 2016.
Please make reservations for this month’s meeting by calling Ron Davis at (724) 746-4300. Please spell your name and company and the name and company of any guests if leaving a voice message.

I am pleased to inform you that the Southwest Corner Workforce Development Board has funds available to help support the cost of your company’s incumbent worker training needs.

Your company can receive up to a 65% cost reimbursement for training your existing workforce.

The Southwest Corner Advanced Manufacturing Industry Partnership (IP) will begin this year’s activities by scheduling a series of group meetings with local manufacturing companies. The purpose of the meetings is to assess the training needs of our current IP members and invite other local manufacturing companies to join the IP. Based on outcomes of our meeting the IP will prepare a training plan to submit for state approval. Only training pre-approved by the state will be eligible for reimbursement.

Please plan to attend one of the following IP meetings to discuss your company’s training needs and eligibility requirements of the grant:

The Southwest Corner Workforce Development Board is the lead applicant of the grant award from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry The grant was requested on behalf of the region’s manufacturing industry.

Your company’s participation sends a strong message to the PA Department of Labor & Industry that these programs are important to employers. We will ensure that your time will be utilized wisely!

Celebrating more than 40 years of excellence in manufacturing support and education in Washington County

The Washington County Manufacturer’s Association is dedicated to communicating and implementing ideas and projects designed to enhance the industrial climate of Washington County and its adjoining areas as well as advancing the professional knowledge of our members.